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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · object · season · pitcher · fine · land · row · mark

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. season — in sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. land — to come down
  7. row — a line
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mine — for digging
  13. object — an aim
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mark — a grade
  18. object — a thing
  19. season — of the year
  20. land — a country
  21. object — to protest
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com